Wireless communications networks may implement Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) or hybrid-ARQ (HARQ), wherein HARQ also may include forward error connection. In such a communications network, transmitting devices such as a wireless device may be required to send acknowledgement information (i.e., feedback) to the receiving device (such as a network node) indicating the result of decoding a transport block or codeword (e.g., ACK/NACK or ACK/NAK feedback). The ACK/NACK related to downlink (DL) transmissions may be transmitted in the uplink (UL). The feedback may be used to trigger fast retransmissions.
In some communications networks such as 3GPP networks, explicit resource allocation may be supported. A DL transmission may include Downlink Control Information (DCI) in addition to DL data. DCI may be used to schedule a slot for reporting acknowledgement information (e.g., HARQ feedback) to be sent from the wireless device to the network node. In addition to this timing information, the wireless device also needs to know the exact acknowledgement resource (physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource) that should be used. PUCCH resources may be configured by higher layers and DCI may indicate which of the configured resources to use. Which resources to use may be communicated as an acknowledgement-resource-indication (ARI).
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a time frequency diagram, in which DL transmission 100 includes DCI 102 in addition to DL data. The DL transmission 100 is scheduled in slot n. DCI 102 indicates that acknowledgement information (e.g., HARQ feedback) should be sent in slot n+1 using the PUCCH. In addition to this timing information, the ARI communicates which PUCCH resource should be used (e.g., ARI=1 communicates that PUCCH resource 1 should be used).
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a time frequency diagram, in which multiple DL transmissions 200, 202, 204 include DCI 0 206, DCI 1 208, DCI 2 210, respectively, in addition to DL data 0, 1, and 2. DL transmissions 200, 202, 204 are scheduled in slots n, n+1, and n+3, respectively. Due to the lack of PUCCH opportunities (e.g., no UL opportunities), acknowledgement feedback is requested in slot n+3 following DL data 2. In addition to the timing information, ARI in DCI 0 communicates that PUCCH resource 0 should be used for DL transmission 200 acknowledgement information, ARI in DCI 1 communicates that that PUCCH resource 2 should be used for DL transmission 202 acknowledgement information, and ARI in DCI 2 communicates that PUCCH 3 should be used for DL transmission 204 acknowledgements. The instances of ARI included in DCI 0, DCI 1, and DCI 3 point at different PUCCH resources to avoid collisions.
However, the present inventors have recognized that the above acknowledgement information communication has drawbacks as discussed herein. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide methods and devices for allocated acknowledgement resources.